New firmware:Sony has announced that free software update 2.70 for the PlayStation 3 will be available from 2 April.

The gaming giant says the "capabilities of PS3 are stepping up yet another gear" with this update. giving players more freedom to text chat, making music playback "more satisfying" and making the internet more accessible.

The music tweak comes in with the "Dynamic Normaliser" a feature that stops the sudden increase in volume between tracks on a playlist, now resulting in a "smooth listening experience all the way".

The internet improvements let a gamer find out more about a game they've just downloaded by finding its icon in the menu and then selecting "Internet Search".

The text chat changes lets users set up a chat room, select anyone from their friends list and invite them in. The friend will then see an icon in the corner of their screen and know they’re wanted in the chat room.

Up to 16 people can join the same room to chat using a controller, a connected keyboard or a wireless keypad and chats can be started halfway through a game.

The 2.70 update also allows users to cut and paste text from their internet browser as well as send message attachments up to 3MB in size.